Our immigration system is broken and needs to be fixed. The first step in fixing our immigration system is to secure our borders and that must be Washington’s priority. Securing our borders, and having operational control over them, is critical to our national security, preventing crime and for public safety.

Securing the Border by Implementing a Reliable Entry/Exit System - It’s been more than a dozen years since 9-11 and a reliable entry-exit system has not been put in place. The 9-11 Commission recommended that this system be put in place as a priority. Nearly 60 percent of those not legally in the U.S. crossed the border illegally and another 40 percent simply over-stayed their visa. In 2011, about 55% of deportations were of criminals. Almost half of them were repeat border crossers. Our land, air and sea ports of entry must be made secure.

Implementing an entry-exit system that keeps track of who is entering and leaving the United States is a priority and it will help us enforce our immigration laws to ensure that visitors to the U.S. honor their visa deadlines.

Enforcing Current Laws - The second step in fixing our immigration system is enforcing the laws we already have on the books, we have millions who willfully entered illegally or violated the terms of their visa, and we have millions of immigrants going through the legal channels to become US citizens. Granting blanket amnesty tells the millions of law-abiding immigrants to ignore the law and that is a message we do not want to send.

Employment Verification - We must have in place an employment verification system to make sure that employers are able to properly screen out job applicants who are not eligible to work in the U.S. We still have over 20 million American citizens who are unemployed or underemployed and our first priority must be ensuring job opportunities exists for fellow Americans.

Senate Immigration Reform – Since passage of amnesty legislation in 1986, Washington has been promising to secure U.S. borders. Washington’s 27-year record of broken promises should be a reason for concern. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) reports that the Senate bill would only decrease illegal immigration by 25%. According to the CBO, if the Senate bill passes we will be right back where we are today in a decade wondering how to addres the plight of 5 million more new illegal immigrants.

The CBO also states that, if adopted, the Senate immigration bill will lower wages for Americans (and newly amnestied immigrants under the Senate bill) who are lower and lower middle income. For Americans who are already struggling to make ends meet, this makes it more challenging for them to climb the economic ladder.

The first step for immigration reform is to fulfill the 27 years of broken promises by securing the border and implementing the laws already passed.